Nine To Five: Sexist, Egotistical, Lying, Hypocritical Bigot Edition

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All Rise...

Judge Dennis Prince might tolerate a tyrannical boss if he could actually work 9 to 5; today's 24x7 work culture has him ready to O.D. on Skinny 'n Sweet.

The Charge

Getting even is a full-time job.

Opening Statement

It had all the markings of a simple feminist outburst, a tepid comedy of she
vs. he in the high-rise workplace. Strangely enough, director Colin Higgins'
seemingly seething "manbash," Nine to Five, was received as
anything but. Sure, it pits the beleaguered broads against the bastard boss and
paints the bombastic brute in the most acrid colors available, but men loved
the film, too! In what has become a reasonably "classic" film of a
quarter century ago, Fox Home Video finally sweetens up this 1980 office
vengeance tale in a very respectable special edition, save for the actual name
of the damned thing: Nine to Five—Sexist, Egotistical, Lying,
Hypocritical Bigot Edition. Who thought that would be clever? Must have been
a man, huh?

Facts of the Case

Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda, Barbarella), recently divorced by her
two-timing husband, is entering the work force for the first time and has found
an assignment in the secretarial pool at Consolidated Companies, Inc. The
aspiring yet acidic Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin, All of Me) immediately
takes Judy under her wing and guides her through the perils of the workplace,
beginning with the severely abrasive and condescending boss, Franklin Hart
(Dabney Coleman, War Games). If Hart's dictatorial and demeaning style
weren't enough, there's also his tremendously buxom secretary, Doralee Rhodes
(Dolly Parton, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas), who, rumor has it, is
"bangin' the boss." After Hart skips over Violet for a much-deserved
promotion and is exposed for starting the rumor of the non-existent tryst with
the genuinely sweet Doralee, Judy sees the cretin for what he is and joins the
other two in an evening of fun and fantasy as they speculate upon the best
method to do in the draconian dictator. Hart falls ill unexpectedly, and Violet
fears she's accidentally poisoned the boss: "It looks just like Skinny 'n
Sweet…except for the little skull and crossbones on the label." When
Hart learns of this, he proceeds to blackmail the trio, sparking a confrontation
with the three secretaries, who believe they've uncovered a dirty scheme the
boss has been masterminding.

The Evidence

Despite its clearly felonious bent, Nine to Five successfully comes
off as a playful workplace romp thanks to the continual over-the-top situations
and surreal nature of the proceedings. It's practically innocent in its approach
and successfully rallies the sentiments of oppressed office underdogs
everywhere. Credit the late Colin Higgins's superb script (co-written with
Patricia Resnick) and his ability as a director to maintain careful control over
the zany goings-on. Its impact was made all the more satisfying by its method of
promoting the pretty faces of Fonda, Parton, and Tomlin in its ad campaign, then
delivering a sucker punch to unsuspecting audiences who howled at the severity
of the secretaries' vengeance. Had the actors not been allowed to play their
roles to comedic extremes, the picture might have otherwise come off as a
spiteful tale of brooding retribution.

The ensemble cast works perfectly throughout the picture, Fonda effectively
receding into a rather mousy role, constantly upstaged by the excellent
confrontations between Tomlin and Coleman. First-timer Parton does an
exceptional job with her big-screen premiere. Seemingly knowing she'd have to
work might hard to get audiences to redirect their sightlines above her
neckline, she ultimately memorized the entire shooting script, every one else's
line as well as her own. Of course, fans of the film also cite Elizabeth
Wilson's precise portrayal of Roz, the office spy and suck-up to Hart, as a
pitch-perfect rendition of a universally reviled office personality.

No doubt, this 1980 romp shows its age, largely in the office technology of
IBM Selectric typewriters, late-model dicta-phones, and the gargantuan Xerox
9400 photocopier. Surprisingly, the clothing and hairstyles aren't so obnoxious,
so by and large we can enjoy a latter-day viewing without cringing too much.
However, there is the whole "Maui Wowie" sequence in which the three
ladies get stoned thanks to a blunt offered up by Violet's teenage son. The
ensuing "old-fashioned ladies' pot party" feels a bit uncomfortable in
today's uptight, drug-sensitive mentality. This reminds us of a time when
"getting loaded" was considered commonplace and posed only a
minor—albeit rather acceptable—social infraction. Watching it with
teens today, we adults have a bit of explaining to do regarding why the ladies
should be shown having so much fun doing "something so wrong."
Gulp.

And speaking of loaded, this new 25th anniversary special edition of Nine
to Five is fully packed in a way that will have fans likely as giddy as the
three heroines. It starts off with a newly remastered anamorphic transfer,
framed at the film's original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The image looks stunning,
really, and shows that considerable care has been taken in upgrading the visual
quality from the inferior bare-bones release of several years ago. The source
material isn't pristine, mind you, and you will see occasional film dirt and
some graininess. However, the bright colors of the Consolidated office's
carpeting and especially Violet's garishly glorious lipstick practically jump
out at you. The contrast is well managed as are the black levels, though most of
the picture takes place in a fluorescent glow. The audio is a bit of a
disappointment, sadly, as we're only offered Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix (as
well as the film's original 1.0 mono mix). It's curious why a 5.1 mix wasn't
whipped up although the 2.0 track does perform adequately enough to underscore
the on-screen fun. The dialogue is always clear and easy to understand.

As for extras, here's where the folks at Fox really step up. First, there's
a fun commentary where Fonda, Tomlin, Parton, and producer Bruce Gilbert get
together (seemingly over a conference call of sorts) to remark and reminisce
about the picture. Fonda often takes a lead role in submitting points of
discussion, yet it's Parton who really injects true humor and sweetness into the
entire proceeding. Tomlin is pleasantly discreet and often demure in her
comments. Poor Gilbert can hardly get a word in edgewise as the three ladies
quickly get rolling and demonstrate why their three characters maintained such
excellent chemistry throughout the film. Next, you'll find a fun 25-minute
featurette, Nine @ 25, which includes interviews and retrospectives from
the film's stars, including Dabney Coleman, who was sadly absent from the
commentary track, and producer Gilbert. It's rather a feel-good piece that
doesn't reveal much new about the production though it's fun to watch just the
same. Then, there are ten deleted scenes that are actually quite interesting,
book-ended by the material that made the final cut, giving us a chance to see
exactly where they were originally intended to appear—a nice touch.
Remembering Colin Higgins is a nicely respectful look back at the work of
the writer/director. A short gag-reel is included that's fun but in quite rough
form. The film's theatrical trailer is here, too, in non-anamorphic
presentation; it's a fun piece comprised of office footage and voiceover not
seen in the actual picture, reminding us of the days when a film's key sequences
weren't given away before we could actually get to see the picture itself. The
only real throwaway here, perhaps, is the theme song karaoke feature where you
can sing along with Dolly as you view a montage of scenes from the film.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Of course, Nine to Five isn't without its faults, the major offense
coming by way of sequences that run a bit overlong. While the secretaries'
fantasies of offing Hart are fun, they do tend to drag a just a bit. And, the
point at which the three are in a final standoff with Hart to the point of
abduction and imposed restraint does teeter on absurdity. All told, though, the
film is fun and the actors clearly had fun with it.

Closing Statement

Fox Home Video is to be commended for their fine treatment of this
potentially "cult classic" affair. Fans of the film will certainly be
satisfied with the treatment of the feature as well as the generous load of
extras, too. If you own the previous DVD incarnation, pitch it and get this one
instead—it's highly recommended.

The Verdict

Not guilty. Case dismissed. Let's all pop over to Charlie's, now, for a
drink!